Paws Your Stress

PAWS YOUR STRESS

Charity Event

Key Role: Event assistant

Location: Falmouth University

Date: May 2016

Background

This event was held by second year Creative Events Management students from Falmouth University when I was in my first year. The aim of the event was to enable students from both Falmouth and Exeter University to relieve stress and promote good mental health during the exam period through the use of animal therapy. They brought in a rotation of 12 different Labradors and Golden Retrievers of all different ages and sizes so that people could stroke and pet them. In addition, the event also raised money for Guide Dogs for the Blind, asking attendees to each donate a minimum of £2 which resulted in Paws Your Stress managing to raise over £930 for the local guide dog fundraising group.

Roles and Responsibilities

I was given a number of different roles throughout this event. My original role was helping guests to find their reserved car parking spaces. I also assisted in the transportation between the car park and venue, helping the handlers to escort their dogs to and from the event. My next role was crowd management, making sure there weren't too many people crowded around a dog at the same time and ensuring everyone exited safely when their 20 minutes was up. I also helped out on the front desk, checking people in for their slots and checking everyone's student ID. Once they had been checked in and had donated, I would instruct them to wait in an orderly line, ready to go in. It was also my job to count heads and make sure there were never more than 20 people being let in at one time.

Skills Acquired

Crowd management: escorting attendees out safely and keeping an eye on numbers to make sure it didn't overcrowd
Team work: working with the other volunteers to carry out tasks efficiently
Organisation: checking people into their slots and keeping a record of attendees

Photo Credit: Jess Vallance-Owen & Paws Your Street Facebook Page